More Cirque Performances Added

Final block of tickets on sale in PHILADELPHIA

19 performances added



KOOZA will perform under the Grand Chapiteau

May 8 - June 15 only!



Philadelphia, March 18, 2008 -- Due to unprecedented demand for tickets, Cirque du Soleil has added the final 19 performances to the Philadelphia engagement of KOOZA before the show premieres on May 8. The final KOOZA performance in Philadelphia will be June 15, 2008.



KOOZA tickets for these final performances (June 3-15) will be available to the general public starting Sunday, March 23, 2008. They are currently available to Cirque Club members only. Membership in the Cirque Club is free and registration is quick and simple at www.cirquedusoleil.com.



KOOZA will premiere in Philadelphia on May 8, 2008 under the blue and yellow Grand Chapiteau on the Avenue of the Arts (at Broad and Washington). Tickets may be purchased online at www.cirquedusoleil.com or by calling 1 800-678-5440.



KOOZA is a return to the origins of Cirque du Soleil that combines two circus traditions – acrobatic performance and the art of clowning. The show highlights the physical demands of human performance in all its splendor and fragility, presented in a colorful mélange that emphasizes bold slapstick humor. Between strength and fragility, laughter and smiles, turmoil and harmony, KOOZA explores themes of identity, recognition and power. The show is set in an electrifying and exotic visual world full of surprises, thrills, chills, audacity and total involvement.



Performance Schedule
· Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m.
· Thursdays thru Saturdays at 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
· Sundays at 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.
· No performances on Mondays.
There will be no 4pm performances on May 8, 9 and 15


Ticket Prices (taxes Included)
· $50–$85 for adults

· $35–$59.50 for children (ages 2-12)

· $45–$76.50 for seniors (65+) and students (13+) - Tuesday to Thursday, and Friday at 4pm.

Broadway Series

BROADWAY SERIES

BROADWAY AT THE ACADEMY • BROADWAY AT THE FORREST





KIMMEL CENTER, INC. & SHUBERT ORGANIZATION, INC.

ANNOUNCE NEW 2008-2009 CADILLAC BROADWAY SERIES



Top Broadway Musicals Will Make Philadelphia

Premieres at Academy of Music and Forrest Theatre



Spring Awakening And Legally Blonde The Musical

Set to Highlight Sensational New Season!



Award-Winning Lineup Will Also Feature

A Chorus Line, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,

Happy Days – A New Musical



(Philadelphia, Pa., March 6, 2008) – An award-winning combination of dazzling Broadway musicals are set to arrive in Philadelphia, marking the arrival of the new 2008-2009 Cadillac Broadway Series hosted by the Academy of Music and the Forrest Theatre.



The new Cadillac Broadway Series subscription season will feature: LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL (Dec. 2 – 7, 2008); HAPPY DAYS – A NEW MUSICAL (Mar. 24 – 29, 2009); CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG (Apr. 7 – 12, 2009); SPRING AWAKENING (Jun. 23 – 28, 2009), all at the Academy of Music; and A CHORUS LINE (Dec. 16 – Dec. 21, 2008) at the Forrest Theatre.



Additional ’08-’09 shows will include: THE WIZARD OF OZ (Nov. 28 – 30, 2008); AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’ (Jan. 9 – 11, 2009); JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR (Jan. 30 – Feb. 1, 2009); RENT (Feb. 3 – 8, 2009); RIVERDANCE – Farewell Tour (Mar. 31 – Apr. 5, 2009) and MOVIN’ OUT (May 15 – 17, 2009). Two upcoming musicals arriving this summer, MAMMA MIA! (July 15 – 27, 2008) and Monty Python’s SPAMALOT (Aug. 14 – 31, 2008) will also be included as ‘add-ons’ to the new subscription season.



Subscription packages are on sale now by calling 215-893-1955 or online at www.kimmelcenter.org/subs0809. Single tickets will go on sale at a later date.



“We are thrilled to once again collaborate with the Shubert Organization in bringing the nation’s most popular and successful Broadway touring productions to the Philadelphia region,” said Kimmel Center, Inc. President and CEO Anne Ewers. “Our selection of Broadway offerings has grown every year thanks to the overwhelmingly positive response from our subscribers and the local theater community. We plan to continue our tradition of offering the ‘crème de le crème’ in Broadway musicals to the entire region.”



“Our new subscription season promises to be one of the most spectacular ever—and we are excited to be part of it,” said Gerald Schoenfeld, Chairman of the Shubert Organization, Inc. “By working together with the Kimmel Center, we are able to offer the Philadelphia theater community a larger selection of musical productions in two of Center City’s most beautiful and historic theatres.”



“It’s here, and it’s ‘AN ELLE OF A SHOW’ (Time Magazine). The hilarious MGM film is Broadway’s new smash hit musical, and now LEGALLY BLONDE - The Musical (Dec. 2 – Dec. 7, 2008) is coming to Philadelphia to usher in the new subscription season.



LEGALLY BLONDE follows sorority star Elle Woods, an underestimated blonde who doesn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. When her boyfriend dumps her for someone more “serious,” Elle puts down the credit card, hits the books anc sets out to go where no Delta Nu has gone before: Harvard Law School. Along the way Elle proves that being true to yourself never goes out of style. After turning Broadway and MTV hot pink, this “Feel Good Song and Dance Juggernaut” (New York Magazine) is ‘The Best New Musical Around” (WOR).



Winner of nine Tony Awards, including “Best Musical” and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the singular sensation A CHORUS LINE arrives at the Forrest Theatre (Dec. 16 – Dec. 21, 2008). In an empty theatre, on a bare stage, casting for a new Broadway musical is almost complete. For 17 dancers, this audition is the chance of a lifetime. It’s the one opportunity to do what they’ve always dreamed – to have the chance to dance. This is A CHORUS LINE, the musical for everyone who’s ever had a dream and put it all on the line. The longest-running American Broadway musical ever, A CHORUS LINE now returns. Come meet the new generation of Broadway’s best. “A CHORUS LINE is back, and it’s thrilling!” (John Lahr, The New Yorker)



Goodbye gray skies, hello Blue! Happy days are here again with Richie, Potsie, Ralph Malph and the unforgettable “king of cool” Arthur ‘The Fonz” Fonzarelli. HAPPY DAYS – A New Musical, based on the hit Paramount Pictures’ television series makes its Philadelphia premiere (Mar. 24 – 29, 2009). HAPPY DAYS – A New Musical reintroduces one of America’s best loved families, the Cunninghams, and the days of 1959 Milwaukee complete with varsity sweaters, hula hoops and jukebox sock-hoppin.. The famed drive-in malt shop and number one hang-out, Arnold’s, is in danger of demolition, so the gang teams up to save it with a dance contest and TV-worthy wrestling match. This perfectly family-friendly musical will have audiences rockin’ and rollin’ all week long!

HAPPY DAYS – A New Musical has a book by the legendary Garry Marshall, with music & lyrics by Oscar winning composer Paul Williams. Directed by Gordon Greenberg. Music Arrangements and Music Supervision by John McDaniel. Choregraphed by Michele Lynch.



You’ll believe a car can fly, when CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG soars into town (Apr. 7 – 12, 2009). The enthralling adventures of a magical car that sails the seas and flies through the air has been a family favorite since the original motion picture captivated the world’s imagination in 1968. It’s everything you could want in a musical – and more. Sensational sets, stunning special effects, an irresistible story, and an unforgettable Sherman Brothers musical score, including memorable classics like “Truly Scrumptious,” “Hushabye Mountain,” and of course, the Oscar-nominated title song, all add up to a Broadway blockbuster for the entire family.



SPRING AWAKENING (Jun. 23 – 28, 2009), Broadway’s most talked about new musical and now the biggest Tony Award-winner in years will make its Philadelphia premiere at the Academy of Music. SPRING AWAKENING is the groundbreaking fusion of morality, sexuality, and rock & roll that has awakened Broadway like no other musical in years. Winner of eight Tony Awards including Best Musical, SPRING AWAKENING celebrates the unforgettable journey from youth to adulthood with a power, a poignancy and a passion you will never forget. We agree with The New York Times “Broadway may never be the same again.” Haunting and Electrifying! This brave new musical has a shivery, sensual allure unmatched by anything in the theatre right now.” (Charles Isherwood, The New York Times).



Additional new shows available to subscribers will include:



There truly is no place like home, as the greatest family musical of all time, the wonderful WIZARD OF OZ, twists its way into Philadelphia (Nov. 28 – 30, 2008). The entire family will be captivated as they travel down the Yellow Brick Road and beyond with Dorothy, Toto, and their friends the Cowardly Lion, Tin Man and Scarecrow in this lavish production featuring breathtaking special effects, dazzling choreography and classic songs. A spectacular celebration of the iconic MGM film, THE WIZARD OF OZ will blow you away from the moment the tornado touches down and transports you to a sazzling art deco Oz, complete with Munckins and Flying Monkeys.



It’s been 30 years since AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’ (Jan. 9 – 11, 2009), Broadway’s smash-hit Fats Waller musical revue won six Tony Awards including Best New Musical. Now Richard Maltby, Jr., Tony Award-winning author and director of the 1978 premiere Broadway production, will re-create his original direction for the new 30th Anniversary National Tour. RUBEN STUDDARD, the 2003 American Idol Winner, joins a top-notch cast with a sassy all-star band live onstage. This outrageously prodigious comic and musical soul of 1930’s Harlem is a rollicking, swinging, finger-snapping production – still considered one of Broadway’s best-crafted revues of all time.



JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR (Jan. 30 – Feb. 1, 2009), the first masterpiece from the legendary writing team of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, first exploded onto the scene in 1971, changing the world of musical theatre fovever. With a score of amazing songs – “I Don’t Know How to Love Him,” “Hosanna,” “Everything’s Alright,” “What’s the Buzz,” “Superstar,” and “Heaven on Their Mind,” this original groundbreaking production starring Ted Neeley in the title role and Living Colour’s Corey Glover as Judas is as relevant and timely as ever.



RENT (Feb. 3 – 8, 2009) returns to the Academy of Music by popular demand! RENT is more than a show, it’s a phenomenon – a theatrical experience that transformed how a generation feels about musicals, changed Broadway forever, and inspired a major motion picture. Whether it’s your 1st time or your 100th time, it’s time you checked out RENT!



RIVERDANCE (Mar. 31 – Apr. 5, 2009), the thunderous celebration of Irish music, song and dance that has tapped its way onto the world stage thrilling millions of people around the globe, will play eight Farewell Performances at the Academy of Music. “A Phenomenon of Historic Proportions!” raves the Washington Post. “An explosion of sight and sound that simply takes your breath away,” cheers the Chicago Tribune. “A family evening unlike anthing else!” exclaims The London Times. Discover why nothing in the world compares to the original international phenomenon! Whether it’s your first time or your fifth, you won’t want to miss these Farewell performances of RIVERDANCE.



Five-time Grammy winner Billy Joel and legendary director/choreographer Twyla Tharp have joined forces to create the spectacular Broadway musical MOVIN’ OUT (May 15 – 17, 2008). Time Magazine declares it “The #1 show of the year.” The New York Times calls it “a shimmering portrait of an American generation. These tornado driven dancers and rock musicians propel the audience into delirious ovations.” MOVIN OUT brings 24 Billy Joel classics to electrifying new life as it tells the story of five life-long friends over two turbulent decades. It all adds up to one unforgettable Broadway musical.



Subscription ticket prices for the 2008-2009 Cadillac Broadway Series season range from $78.50 to $500. To order tickets or for more information on subscription packages call 215-893-1955 or visit www.kimmelcenter.org/subs0809. Groups of 15 or more call 215-790-5883 or 866-276-2947. Visit online at www.kimmelcenter.org/groupsales or www.telecharge.com/groups. Single tickets will go on sale at a later date.



Cadillac Broadway Series subscribers are offered a variety of exclusive privileges including the first opportunity to select the best seats in the house and the option to renew these seats every year. Subscribers are also entitled to discounts of up to 33% on additional Cadillac Broadway Series shows and Kimmel Center Presents performances, in addition to up to 50% savings for both senior citizens and students. A special 50/50 payment plan, along with restaurant and retail discounts are also available to subscribers. A convenient flexible ticket exchange program allows subscribers to exchange tickets for another performance of the same show.



All performances of 2008-2009 Cadillac Broadway Series are supported by Cadillac, CITI, Target, WPVI-TV 6, The Philadelphia Coca-Cola Bottling Company, The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News. American Airlines is the Official Airline of Cadillac Broadway Series.

New York City Ballet Returns to London

As New York City Ballet return to London for the first time in 25 years, veteran critic John Percival recalls the thrill of their first visit and the genius of the choreographer who made them the best in the world.

Here's something remarkable. Those of us who were lucky enough to see New York City Ballet's first London season open at Covent Garden in 1950 cannot forget the thrill of seeing George Balanchine's Serenade for the first time.

The curtain went up on those lines of long-legged girls and we watched them gather into fresh groupings as Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings led them into some of the most exhilarating ensembles ever made for a large corps de ballet.

Entries for the principals included a long sequence with a man withheld by one of three women from his longing for another; we recognised allusions to the statue over Tchaikovsky's grave. There's no story, Balanchine wrote, but we felt a lot of emotion.

This had been the first ballet Balanchine made in America, and now that same work opens the company's return to London after a gap of more than 25 years - transporting a 90-strong company is costly.

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Macbeth With Patrick Stewart Heads To Broadway

The acclaimed production of Macbeth — which casts stage and screen star Patrick Stewart in the title role — is heading to Broadway.

The Shakespearean classic, the New York Times reports, will follow Is He Dead? — which just announced a March 9 closing date — into Broadway's Lyceum Theatre. Macbeth will play the Broadway venue for a limited eight-week run beginning at the end of March; no official start date has been announced.

Following a West End run this past December, Stewart and company arrived at Brooklyn Academy of Music's Harvey Theatre Feb 12. The sold-engagement at BAM will conclude March 22.

The production, which originated at the Chichester Festival, features direction by Rupert Goold and is set in a "subterranean kitchen that serves as a military hospital in a timeless and nameless country."

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New Wave of Old Burlesque

"IT ISN'T STRIPPING," says Dulce de Leche. "It's classic striptease." The new wave of old burlesque, that is. De Leche is the "stage kitten"-- the glam hostess and ringmistress -- of "This Is Burlesque," a Valentine's Day celebration of va-va-voom coming to the Birchmere on Valentine's Day.

"Burlesque hearkens back to old-school vaudeville," says De Leche. "There's a lot of humor. It's tongue-in-cheek." For classic cheesecake, the World Famous Pontani Sisters deliver with a cherry on top. Cabaret cutie Melody Sweets sings songs of lust. There are the 40 hula hoops of Miss Saturn and comedy from "the hardest-working middle-aged man in showbiz," Murray Hill. One other key fact: "The girls go down to pasties." And so, in our porny plasticine world, it has come to this: More is less.

"When I first went to burlesque shows, it was so empowering," says de Leche. "It was women of all shapes and sizes up onstage, owning it. They were so sexy."

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Grace, with Lynn Redgrave, Opens Off-Broadway Feb. 11

MCC Theater's production of Mick Gordon and AC Grayling's Grace — with Lynn Redgrave in the title role — officially opens at Off-Broadway's Lucille Lortel Theatre Feb. 11.

Joseph Hardy directs the work that began previews Jan. 23 for a limited run through March 8.

Grace centers on "a mother, a wife and a brilliant professor," according to an announcement. "Her bold assertions on the 'absurdity' of religion have propelled her to center stage in the public debate over the existence of God. But Grace's private calm is severely shaken when her son, Tom, announces a career change from civil rights attorney to priest."

Following an acclaimed run at London's Soho Theater, Grace arrives in New York with Tony Award-nominated actress Redgrave as Grace. Joining the actress onstage are Philip Goodwin (Tartuffe, The Diary of Anne Frank, King Lear) as Tony, Oscar Isaac (Romeo and Juliet, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Beauty of the Father) as Tom and K.K. Moggie (Richard III, A Peddlers Tale, Fetes de la Nuit) as Ruth. Robert Emmet Lunney (Duet) plays the "Voice of Dr. Michael Persinger."

Last seen on Broadway in a Tony Award-nominated turn in The Constant Wife, Redgrave has penned and appeared in a trilogy of works about her family: Shakespeare For My Father, The Mandrake Root and Nightingale. Her other credits include Talking Heads, The Exonerated, Black Comedy, Aren't We All, Moon Over Buffalo and another Tony-nominated turn in Mrs. Warren's Profession. She was nominated for Academy Awards for her work in the films "Gods and Monsters" and "Georgy Girl."

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Source: Playbill

My Fair Lady Makes Philadelphia Premiere In March

CAMERON MACKINTOSH / THE NATIONAL THEATRE OF GREAT BRITAIN’S

AWARD-WINNING WEST END PRODUCTION OF

LERNER & LOEWE’S
“My Fair Lady”
MAKES PHILADELPHIA PREMIERE

AT THE ACADEMY OF MUSIC MARCH 11 – MARCH 16

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!



The Cameron Mackintosh and the National Theatre of Great Britain’s new production of Lerner & Loewe’s MY FAIR LADY makes its Philadelphia premiere at the Academy of Music for a limited engagment March 11 - 16 as part of a national tour. Lerner & Loewe’s MY FAIR LADY comes to the U.S. direct from its 2001 West End run and U.K. national tour that began fall 2005. Part of the Cadillac Broadway Series, tickets for the Award-winning production are on sale now. For more information, or to see a video preview, please visit www.myfairladythemusical.com.

Tickets ranging in price from $25 to $77.50 are on sale now. A limited number of premium box seats are available for $100.00. Tickets can be purchased by calling 215-731-3333, online at www.kimmelcenter.org/broadway, at the Kimmel Center box office, Broad & Spruce Streets (open daily 10 am to 6 pm) or at the Academy of Music box office (during performances only). Groups of 15 or more will receive discounts for select performances by calling 215-790-5883 or 866-276-2947. Tickets can also be purchased as part of a Choose 3 subuscription package by calling 215-893-1955. Performances include: Tuesday through Thursday evenings (March 11-13) at 7:30 pm; Friday and Saturday evenings (March 14 & 15) at 8:00 pm; Sunday evening (March 16) at 6:30 pm; and matinee performances on Saturday at 2:00 pm and Sunday at 1:00 pm.

Christopher Cazenove, one of England’s most respected stage and screen actors best known to U.S. audiences as Ben Carrington on television’s “Dynasty” and Lisa O’Hare, who most recently starred as the title role of Mary Poppins in London, will star as Professor Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle, roles they originated on the extended U.K. national tour.

Also featured as Mrs. Higgins will be acclaimed theatre and film star Marni Nixon (singing voice of Eliza Doolittle in “My Fair Lady” feature film). Lisa O’Hare is appearing with the permission of Actors’ Equity Association. The Producers gratefully acknowledge Actors’ Equity Association for its assistance of this production.

Hailed as “A stellar piece of work…with breathtaking production values” by The Tennessean, this production of MY FAIR LADY takes a stunning leap forward with its reimagining of many features of this cherished classic, delivering a magnificent and relevant theatre experience for 21st century audiences.

Also featured in the U.S. Tour premiere are Tim Jerome as Alfred P. Doolittle, Walter Charles as Colonel Hugh Pickering, Barbara Marineau as Mrs. Pierce, Justin Bohon as Freddy Eynsford-Hill and at certain performances the role of Eliza Doolittle is played by Dana DeLisa.

The ensemble comprises David Abeles, Harlen Bengel, Eric Briarley, Wilson Bridges, Ronald L. Brown, Debra Cardona, Elizabeth DeRosa, Kyle DesChamps, Bill Dietrich, Michael J. Farina, Warren Freeman, Jazmin Gorsline, Robin Haynes, Marnee Hollis, Lisa Kassay, Lainie Munro, Adam Laird, Cathy Newman, Georga Osborne, Lauren Pastorek, Byron St. Cyr, Jesse Swimm, David Tankersley, Stephanie Van Duynhoven, Erin Willis and Lee Zarrett.

MY FAIR LADY has book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. It is adapted from Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion and Gabriel Pascal’s motion picture and features one of Broadway’s most beloved scores including “The Rain in Spain,” “I Could Have Danced All Night” and “Get Me to the Church on Time.”

This production of MY FAIR LADY originally opened at the National Theatre of Great Britain March 2001 before transferring to the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on London’s West End July 2001 where it ran for 2½ years.

This new production was hailed by the London Daily Mail as “The revival against which all others will be measured,” and the London Daily Telegraph as “Probably the greatest musical of all time.” U.S. critics were equally unanimous in their praise: “A joyous smash revival” hailed Ben Brantley of The New York Times and Richard Christiansen of The Chicago Tribune raved “Sumptuous and stunning! An inspired revival.”

The show opened to record-breaking advance sales and went on to win five Laurence Olivier Awards, including ‘Outstanding Musical Production’ and ‘Best Theatre Choreographer’ for Matthew Bourne. In 2002 it received The Hilton Award for Outstanding Musical Production.

The U.S. national tour of MY FAIR LADY brings together the original U.K. artistic team with direction by four-time Tony® winner Trevor Nunn, choreography and musical staging by two-time Tony® winner Matthew Bourne, production design by Anthony Ward and lighting design by David Hersey. The musical supervisor is Stephen Brooker and the orchestrations are by William David Brohn, with the dance music arranged by Chris Walker. The sound is by Paul Groothuis. The Associate Choreographer is Fergus Logan. The Associate Director is Shaun Kerrison.

The original production of My Fair Lady opened at the Mark Hellinger Theatre, New York on March 15, 1956 where it ran for 2,717 performances – the longest- running musical of its day and still one of the top fifteen longest-running Broadway musicals of all time. It won eight 1956 Tony Awards® including Best Musical. My Fair Lady subsequently opened in London with the same cast on April 30, 1958 at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, and it enjoyed a record-breaking 5 ½-year run. The 1964 film of My Fair Lady has become a beloved classic worldwide, winning eight 1964 Academy Awards® including Best Picture.

Rent's Broadway Run Ends In June

The award-winning Broadway musical "Rent" will end its 12-year-run in New York this June, according to an announcement on the production's Web site.

The musical, composed by Jonathan Larson, chronicles the struggles of a group of young artists in New York.

"Rent" won a raft of awards following its April 1996 Broadway debut, including a Pulitzer Prize for Drama, four Tony Awards and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical.

Larson never lived to see the success of "Rent," dying at age 36 of an undiagnosed heart condition on the eve of its pre-Broadway opening night at the New York Theater Workshop in January 1996.

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Source: Reuters